2.5.2. Officers
In most units there are some officers present. In other units there are bone at all and it is common for senior NCOs to sometimes be Unit Commanding Officers - or more formally OC - Officer in Charge
The Sea Cadets has an Officer development Programme which aims to recruit, select and train people for its key leadership positions.
This is a standardised process across the country and involves a series of phases and board interview residentials where a variety of leadership attributes are assessed.
Some officers start on the officer track. Others may have been NCOs for many years.
Midshipman
This is the most junior officers rank and usually denotes an officer at the start of their process.
Sub-Lieutenant
This usually marks their first real appointment following the completion of their Phases of training. an officer may be a sub-lieutenant for a while serving in a unit.
Lieutenant
This is usually the most senior rank that Officers will attain at Unit level and many Commanding Officers are Lieutenants.
Lieutenant-Commander
This ranks tends to be the preserve of Officers who have some sort of District or Area role - for example the District officer (DO) and their deputy (ADO) are often this rank.
In some cases very senior Commanding Officers may be promoted to this rank, although this is quite rare.
Officers do not (at present) regress in rank so for this reason you may occasionally see someone in a Unit who is this rank, especially when they have ‘gone back’ to unit duties after a District or Area role.
Commander (SCC)
This is the most senior SCC Officers rank and usually the preserve of Area or National role staff.
Commander (RN)
There are a number of Royal Navy Officers posted to roles within the Sea Cadet Corps. Sometimes a serving Naval Officer may have connections to a unit and assist training.
Perhaps the most common and visible RN rank you will come across is that of Commander as this is the rank of the ‘Area Officers’ for the Corps.
Captain (RN)
The Uniformed head of the Sea Cadet Corps is a serving Royal Naval Captain, currently Captain Neil Downing RN.
Admiral (RN)
The Admiral of the Corps is usually a serving member of the Royal Family. This is currently The Princess Royal.